


The making of a team

by little-jar (VanimaSpot)



Series: The four brothers [6]
Category: James Bond (Craig movies), Mission: Impossible (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: M/M, Team Bonding, after ghost protocol, before rogue nation, kind of brandthan, twins connection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-02
Updated: 2017-10-02
Packaged: 2019-01-08 04:45:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12247260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VanimaSpot/pseuds/little-jar
Summary: After Ghost Protocol and before Rogue Nation Ethan's team go in different missions, get to know each other and this is how it goes. But first, some old threatening and digging has to be done





	1. Threatening and Digging

**May 2015**

Ethan was trying to sleep in the hospital bed, but he could not move much because of his leg. He knew it was late and he needed to sleep but there was something that didn’t let him. Either way, he tries to ignore the feeling. When he is almost asleep the door of the room cracks open, making him look at the door. The light hits him in the face and he blinks away the spots. There was a man at the door but Ethan cannot see his features because the light from outside covers his face in a shadow. 

“Goodnight, Mister Hunt.”- he says and closes the door, drowning them in darkness.

_ He knows my name. Sounds British. _ Where the first thoughts he had about the man. 

“Who are you?”- Ethan asks at the same time he sits on the bed with a bit of difficulty.

“Don’t worry. I am just here to talk and then I will go.”- the voice comes a little bit further from the door.

_ Definitely British _ .  _ Sounds confident on what he wants _ . 

“Go on then, so I can sleep.”- he tries to sound nonchalant. 

“I would not recommend that."- the man clicks his tongue reproachful- "You see, I am here to threaten you. If you don’t do as I say, I will have to kill you.”

Ethan stiffens and searches for his gun behind the pillow. The man laughs when he finds nothing. He stops in front of the window, showing the outline of a tall and broad man holding a gun. The lights from outside casts a shadow in the face of the intruder.

“Were you looking for this?” 

“Why haven’t you killed me?”-Ethan starts to move out of the bed.

“I am here to bargain first."- he lower the gun- "Stay away from William Brandt and you go on with your life.”

The agent stops, with his left foot hovering inches away from the floor. That was not what he was expecting. Why Brandt? There was something more there. Something wasn’t right.

“So tell me you won’t see him again and you will live another day to die working for the IMF.”-continued the man.

And now the IMF? Who is this guy and how he knows about them? Right now, Ethan could hear the treat in the man's voice. It was there since the beginning. And the way he moved.  _ A trained killer _ .

“Who are you?”- Ethan fails to sound unaffected. Dam the medicine.

“I am just someone very protective of mine. There is no need of a name if we will not see each other again. Only, if you choose wisely.”

Steps at the other side of the door made Ethan look away for a second. When he turns the British man is gone, leaving the window open. The door opens again and a nurse comes in. 

"Where are you going?"-asks her when she sees Ethan with a foot out of the bed. 

"To close the window."-he says, pointing at it while cold air gets in.

"Oh!"- she says -"No, no. Get in the bed. I will do it."

After some more fussing from the nurse, she goes out and Ethan makes a call. He asks Luther to find all the information he can on William Brandt. 

-.-.-.-.-

Luther does send him everything he finds, which is very interesting indeed. His file has just one page about his time before the IMF.

At the beginning of the page comes a photo of Will, next to his name and birth _(18/06/81)_. In the line where normally comes the name of both parents, it only says _Parents: deceased._ Something that is very weird, because normally even if the parents are dead their names appear. Where should be the name of siblings or other family, it says _Connections: none._ The next point come a bit more detailed, but not that much in comparison with other files.  

_ Admitted at the St Bernadette Orphanage the seventh of December 1983. Missing since the twentieth of June 1994.  _

_ Seemingly, moving with the Carson Carnival of Travelling Wonders since the twentieth of June 1994, to the twelfth of September 2001.  _

_ Medical file. _

_ Admitted at the IMF the fifteenth of August 2002.  _

_ Field Agent since the twenty-five of August 2005. _

_ Chief Analyst since the second of May 2013. _

The next pages are Brandt´s medical file after the circus and his recovery before he entered the IMF. There were photos of broken bones, cuts in arms and back. Ethan thought at the beginning about an accident, but looking with more detail it was more than that. There were a lot of defensive wounds, even the doctor said so. In the summary of lesions, it said that most of the cuts were inflicted by a knife of some sort. There was a broken leg, arm and some ribs. The file implied that there was someone else involved, that Brandt was shielding them from the attacker. Looking back at the photos, Ethan could see how some cuts were sectioned, like if there something between the knife and Brandt´s body. He could see how his arms were full of cuts, but some places where intact, like there was something between them. Thinking about it, it seemed that he was embracing someone. They were protecting each other. 

That was definitely an attack. And not a petty one. It said revenge everywhere.  

Ethan looked for more information but he found nothing. Nothing about the other person, the attacker, or a confession by Brandt about what happened. There was a lot of information missing. Next he found everything about Will´s recruitment in the IMF. Like, everything. It seemed like they were making up for the lack of information before. The only vague thing was the part that said that someone vouched for him as a candidate. There was information about his recovery, the classes he took and his grades. Which some were higher than Ethan´s, even the exam for field agent. There were also teachers, students and medics' comments. Clearly, he has some anger and social issues. Used to solo missions, until he started working with a team in 2007. Sarah Salaverrí, Joan Sanders and Danielle Connors. 

In 2009 they find out a mole in their group. Some of the things in their statements called his attention. 

_ Used his relationship with the team, especially with agent Brandt, to find our weaknesses.  _

_ Affiliated with the Bratva.  _

_ …torture… _

_ …left Brandt hanging outside the building… _

That was some major betrayal within the team. After they were saved, Brandt took a few months for himself, and then went back to solo missions. Salaverrí took a position in the H&R. Sanders is still working as an agent, now with another team. And Connors took away part of his team. Apparently, there was some hints in their reports that Brandt and Connors where more than just teammates. In another page, Ethan found that indeed there was something more. Both of them have been dating for a year and started living together shortly before Connors betrayed them. It sure was a low blow to betray someone you were involved with. 

There was also the list of leaves he took. Most of the leaves were for the day of his birthday and a week off on the same time every year. One week at the beginning of December. It didn't say where nor with whom. A week, every year, since he started working with the IMF. Not even Ethan had the same vacations every year, because it was hard to ask for the same date. Even if you asked with time. 

He kept reading, finding a very specific name he thought was impossible.  _ Croatia _ . Brandt was part of the team that was tailing him and Julia that time. That explained why he was still uncomfortable with Ethan even after they found out he was an agent. That was he wanted to say before they took the plane to Mumbai. Maybe, that was what he wanted to say yesterday when he visited him in the hospital but Benji interrupted him. 

Well, there a lot in his mind right now. 

At the end there was nowhere to be found his apartment address, cell phone number, or anything about the British connection. And he was sure there was a lot more info missing, so he called Luther. 

"That´s all I could get."-is how Luther answers his phone. 

"So, that’s the only information about him?"

"That’s not what I said. That’s the only stuff I could get, because the rest is encrypted. Like, very. Or doesn’t exist at all."

"What?"

"Yeah, there is more but I could not access it. Only the Secretary can see it. What you have is just what everybody else can see. The medical file was also encrypted but not that much." 

Ethan didn’t know what to say at that. Luther was very good on what he did. The person who did the encryption must be exceptional, because for Luther to acknowledge there is something he can't do is a lot. 

"I've been looking at the cameras too and there is something interesting about it. The face recognition system barely works on him. Even when he is looking directly at the camera."

That was very weird. Luther kept on trying to get more information but found none. Ethan accepted that.

"So, you got yourself not only a desk monkey but a circus boy."- Luther couldn’t stop himself for saying before Ethan hung up. 

-.-.-.-.-

**A few weeks later in Seattle.**

Ethan called Benji, Jane and Will to see him near the docks. He noticed how Luther tried very hard not to glower at Brand when he went away. They sat down, talked a bit and Ethan gave them their mission. After Jane and Benji walked away with their phones, Will stood up and tried to go away without the phone. Ethan stopped him and told him about Julia.

"It wasn’t your job to protect her, Brandt. It's mine."

Will takes a deep breath at that. He leans back in his chair, looking behind the other agent. If Ethan weren’t paying attention to Julia in that moment, he could have noticed that Will was looking as someone else too. Then, a second later he turns at the other man and offers him his hand for a handshake. 

"So, we are good?"

"We are good."-Ethan answers shaking his hand.

They both smile at each other. Will gets up and takes the phone, then goes away without a goodbye. 

After Ethan sees Julia, he walks away, put on his earphones to hear his mission. When he is getting to the end of the message he sees some meters in front of him someone he knows. He stops in a corner of a restaurant when he recognizes Brandt. He is also wearing earphones and is leaning on a wall, eyes closed, hands on his pockets. 

Ethan is still intrigued about the man, so he waits and looks at him for a while. A few seconds later a white haired man and a dark haired girl approaches him. They both jump at him and hug the man, who reciprocates the action with a big smile. They go into the restaurant behind them and Ethan can't see them when he passes in front of the place. He debates if going inside but he thinks more about it. He will have time to find more about the man later.

-.-.-.-.-

Will is still working as Chief Analyst, because after the death of the secretary and the Ghost Protocol there is a lot to do. The IMF has to send out agent without a lot of information, while others try to find all the intel they can. Ethan finds out that Will does have a lot of information on himself, so when he feels like something is missing he calls Will. He is mostly lucky because whenever he calls he gets an answer. Even some of the underlings already know and sent him directly to talk with Brandt.

One time he learned a bit more about the man. He and Benji were on a stakeout, but Ethan felt that something was missing. He called Brandth without thinking. It was around 3 in the morning in USA when he answered the call. They changed to a video call because Ethan needed to show Will some sketches. When Will answered he was in a dinner table, behind him a living room with a bookshelf, a big couch and a TV.

“Show me the pictures.”

He had tousled hair, a short sleeved t-shirt and a tired face. Ethan could see his arms and see clearly how they were full of cuts. He looked away and showed him the pictures and asked questions. A few seconds into the conversation Will looks up from the computer to his right side, someone hands him a cup of something hot. He keeps on talking even when he is handed now a plate with a sandwich. Ethan recognized to set of hands handing him the breakfast, a woman and a man. Did he live with other people? They had to be agents or know what Brandth did for him to talk freely about the mission in front of them. Family? No. Other agents? Probably. Lovers? Two of them? Not judging but surely it had to be some paper that says something about that but Ethan hasn’t seen one of those. 

Fifteen minutes later they end up the call and Ethan still has questions. Not about the mission but about Brandth. 

When Ethan is not in a mission and calling Will, he follows him. Someone could say stalks (thanks Luther) but he just follows and observes. He thinks that maybe that way he can find out who threatened him in the hospital. Funnily enough, Will sees a lot of people but none matches the man of the hospital. A ginger (who happens to be Pepper Potts, Tony Stark´s girlfriend, which is surprising), a brunet man, a black haired woman, and the boy and girl from before. He doesn’t catch their names and he never sees the British man. 

He then decides to change tactics and ask him from time to time to go out and eat with him and Benji. That way he finds more about the man, like that he is training someone to take his place as Chief Analyst. Which is good if he wants to go back to been an agent. Also, when is his birthday and his phone number. 


	2. Eavesdropping

Ethan finds out that eavesdropping is very useful. 

It is July when Will can be on the field, even though he still has the title of Chief Analyst. Will chose Ethan, Benji and Jane to do the mission with him. They had to infiltrate a Chinese company, get past security with a distraction, find the information (which was on paper) and get out. Jane had to do a piano presentation in the lobby of the company, where they were holding a gala. Will and Benji will sneak out into the two camera rooms and tamper with the equipment. And Ethan had to go get the information. 

In the hotel, Jane and Will where on the living room waiting for the other two to get ready. Jane was doing her makeup and Will was checking the guns. She was very nervous, Will noticed, that was why her makeup wasn't coming out all right. She huffed and threw the eyeliner in the table. Will looked from where he was cleaning his gun and asked:

"Do you need help with that?"

"I can´t get the wing right. If you can do symmetrical wings that´d be amazing."- Jane restrains herself from rubbing her face with both hands.

"I can."- Will says matter-of-factly.

She looks at him surprised and then relieved.

"Really?"- her voice almost sounds pleading, almost.

"Yeah. It is not that hard."- he answers at the same time he gets up.- "You are just nervous."

Will takes one of the chairs and puts it in front of Jane, then takes the eyeliner from the table and asks her to get closer. She closes her eyes and waits for rough hands touch her face. She is surprised when gentle hands cupped her chin. She holds back saying something about it and just smiles. There is a lot she doesn't know about the other agent but she is very patient, she likes to learn stuff with time.

"Where did you learn?"-she asks after a bit. 

"After some years in an orphanage, you learn a few things."- he says softly, sounding focused- "Sometimes the nuns could not get everybody ready for school, so I helped. I have helped some agents do their makeup too. Also, I was in a circus, you need a lot of makeup there."

Will let go of her face and closed the eyeliner, when Jane opened her eyes he gave her a mirror. She smiled at her reflection. Before she could compliment him, Will got up and made a pose. He held the eyeliner with the thumb and the index finger, the other hand in his waist and was bending himself to a side.

"Oh! And I am also gay, so that helps too."- he says in the most serious voice he had.

That makes Jane crack a beautiful laugh. Will smiles at her, he helped her relax and made her laugh. From the other side of the door Ethan finds out that Brandt doesn’t mind talking about his childhood. He saves that information for later use. 

After the mission, Jane thanks Will. They both find out they like the same muffins from a pastry near the IMF headquarters. 

-.-.-.-.-

Will always thought Ethan was the one that got in trouble the most. In their missions there were always something that didn´t went according to plan and it was mostly Ethan´s fault. That day was not an exception. Will felt it since the moment they received the mission. Something was going to happen. 

He never thought he was the one that was going to end in trouble. At least it was him and Benji. 

While Ethan got the information, Will and Benji ended up in the ventilation system, looking for an exit. The problem was that the exit was at the other side of the gigantic and dangerous fan in front of them. Benji explained Ethan what he had to do to stop the fan for them to get to the other side, but they had to wait for him to get to the control panel. Fortunately they were not been followed.

"If we had a laser in our watches it would be easier."-Benji muttered behind him. 

"I think the brits have something like that."-Will said, looking back.

"Really?"

"Yeah."- he nodded - "And exploding pens. But I don't think that could be helpful for us now."

"Then a more controlled explosive, a little one."

Benji´s mind was working on ideas about explosives. 

"We already used the exploding gum."- he said lamely.

"We don't have a hot wire either."-Will mumbled to himself.

"What's that?"

"The SSR had wires in their belts, when they get them out it gets hot enough to cut through metal."

"Cool."

"Yeah, but it was after World War II. I don´t know if they made them anymore."

"You know what? We should make a Batman's utility belt."

Ethan interrupts their brainstorming for the utility belt a little later, when he finally stops the fan. After they are back at the safe house, Will and Benji start making a list for all the things they need for the belt. Ethan is a bit concerned about how serious they are about it. He sees how those two sit in front of a computer to make the list, side by side, shoulders touching. At least Will is doing all right with them. 

-.-.-.-.-

When they are on the airport, they find out they are been followed. Apparently someone of the Chinese company recognized Ethan. At the last moment the camera got a picture of Ethan, but only got his back. He was wearing the same shirt, which was a huge giveaway. Jane and Benji were already getting in the plane, Ethan was next but was spotted so he called Will. 

"Turn left, go past the food court. In the next corner, after the stairs I will intercept you."

Ethan walked a bit fast, just another person in the rush hour. When he turned there was a pair of stairs to the second floor, he rounded them. Then, he felt someone tug at his arm. He recognized Will who pulled his down the stairs, procured a black sweater and a cap a put them on Ethan. The man that was following him walked past them but stopped.

"You know that public displays of affection make people uncomfortable?"

He understood so he got closer to Will, hugging him around the arms while the other man put his arms around his waist. Behind them, the Chinese man looked at them, mostly at Ethan´s forearm that showed the bright red shirt he was wearing, the sweater hanging from his shoulders. What Ethan did next was out of the ordinary. He kissed Will, first on the cheek, then on the corner of the mouth and then on the mouth. The other agent completely froze. Even more when Ethan held his face with both hands. He just closed his eyes in that moment. 

The man behind them went away, leaving them alone. Ethan lowered his hands waiting for Will to open his eyes. When he didn’t Ethan got worried. He noticed how stiff Will was, still holding his waist, his hands clenching hard his clothes. 

"Brandt?"- he asked.

Ethan noticed the flinch from the other man. He stood still waiting. A few seconds later Will opened his eyes and stared right at his hands on Ethan's waist.

"Sorry!"- he said letting go and stepping away of him.

"It should be me who should be sorry."- Ethan said arching a brow.

"Yes… No… Um, it's ok… I…"-Will looked at the floor, then at other of the boarding platforms- "We should go or we will miss the plane."

In the way back they didn’t talk much. They had different seats, Will was a few rows in the front and Ethan had a seat near Benji. From where he was he could see Will´s profile but mostly his hands. At the beginning of the flight he was moving them a lot and scratching his hands too. When the flight attendant offered him a drink, Ethan was sure he was going to ask for something with alcohol, but Will asked for water. When he took out his computer the trembling of the hands mostly stopped. 

The rest of the flight went without any problems but a nagging feeling had Ethan uncomfortable all the way to France. 

-.-.-.-.-

They had to make a stop in Europe. This time they only had to talk with an informant and go back to America. They stayed in the airports hotel, waiting for the next flight. Benji stayed in the room playing Call of Duty, while Jane was window shopping in the nearest mall. Ethan went out to look for Will when the clock ticked 11 pm. 

He found him on the hotel´s gym. Brandt was punching a bag. Hard. He was taking his frustration on the bag in front of him. That was not good. He could hurt himself. Before Ethan could call him a voice came out of the phone in the bench near Will.

"So… are you going to tell why you are awake at this hour?"

"I can ask you the same."- he kicked the bag.

"We are in different time zones."

"Yes. Where you are is two in the morning."-he quipped back. 

"I am waiting for my mark to get out of the house so I can shoot him."

"Then, shouldn't we be quiet."

"The place is soundproofed."

"Where he is or where you are?"

"Him."

"Right."

Ethan felt like he was intruding so he stepped back, now he was no longer standing at the door. Before he could move, his curiosity won. He stayed and leaned on the wall. 

"So…"-said the voice from the phone.

"I froze."- was Will's response. 

Then a hit.

"I almost compromise the mission."

Two hits.

"Because I fucking froze."

Two more hits.

"That was the weird feeling earlier."

"Yeah."

"What triggered it? It has been years since I felt you react like that."

"Ethan kissed me and I had a flashback of… him."

"That bad kisser, eh?"

"Git."- Will chuckled. 

"But, was it the kiss or something else?"

"I don't know… but… he held my face… like he used to."

There was a silence. Neither said anything. Then Ethan heard Will punch once the bag, almost muffling the sound of a shot from the phone. Yells came from the phone and got quieter as the other man walked away from his now dead mark.  

"I think you should do something about it. It's been years Will. Remember what Phil said."

"Yeah, right. Like we moved on from the circus."

The man snorted. 

"Exactly like that."- said the man with mockery.

He heard a car door close, then the motor on and it went into a pavement road. 

"We both need to work on a lot of things."- Will said after a while.

"Yep. We do."-came the response.-"You should go to bed."

"Fine. Good night."

"Night! Love you."-Ethan could hear the smile at the other side of the phone.

"Love you too."

Ethan felt a bit bad for hearing the conversation, but he couldn't deny that he found out a lot more from Will. He walked away and went back to their room. 

He ends up finding a lot more about him in the next few months. 

 


End file.
